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(No Model.) 4 f W. E. HANSHUE. ELBGTRIG RAILWAY.

No. 562,894. Patented June 30, 1896.

Witnesses. .Tmfenozn dhd-.."

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

WILLIAM E. I-IANSIIUE, OF IALAMAZOO, MICHIGAN', ASSIGNOR OF THREE- FOURTHS TO EDGAR E. BROVNSON AND EDMND S. RANKIN, OF SAME PLACE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 562,894, dated J une 30, 1896.

Application flied February 27, 1894. Serial No. 501,646. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom zit may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. HANSHUE, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Kalamazoo, in the county of Kalamazoo and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improi-ementsin Electric Railways, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to improvements in electrical conduits for electric street-railways and to improvements in electric street-railway systems.

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a suitable insulated conduit below ground second, to provide means of preventing Water from entering the conduits; third, to provide means of readily conducting away Water that may by any possibility accumulate in the conduits; fourth, to provide means of conducting away any Water that may fall in the vicinity, so that there shall be very little probability of its overiiowing into the conduit; fifth, to provide means of preventing any Water entering the conduit from the opening in the track above, through which the trolleypole passes; sixth, to provide a means that shall prevent any Water from passing down the trolley-pole and into the conduit in that Way, forming a continuous stream to carry away the electricity; seventh, to provide, in an electrical conduit for a return current, so that the induction shall not affect the telephones used in the vicinity; eighth, to provide against a continuous stream of Water or coating in the vicinity; ninth, to provide against danger to life by conducting electricity from the car belou7 the ground before discharging it. I accomplish these results by the devices shown in the accompanying drawing, which is a cross-section through an electrical railway, which embodies my invention and shows a double trolley-pole projecting through an opening near the center of the track.

The drawing is not made' to scale, the conduit being very large in proportion to the remaining parts. No support is shown `for the various parts, and it is understood that they will be supported in any Well-known Way, by masonry or cast-iron yokes, as preferred, or in any other Way, as conditions and circumstances niay require.

As my invention does not relate to the manner of supporting the parts, no illustration of the support is deemed necessary.

In the drawing, A represents an exterior casing of the conduit, which is preferably made of cast-iron. A represents an inner coating of this conduit, which is of porcelain and preferably about one-half inch thick, and extends up and out over the edges of the opening at the top of the conduit and prevents the pole from striking the iron, to form a circuit, and also prevent a layer of moisture on the inside forming a circuit with the outside of the casing. The conduit, it will be noted, is made in two parts, a projection vn extending up nearly to the top in the middle. The conduit is made in the form of a double tube, with a narrow longitudinal opening at the top. This opening at the top is situated considerably to one side of the central opening in the track, so that dirt and Water from the street cannot fall directly into it. In the center of the bottom of each tube, the porcelain is considerably thickened, forming a heavy, firm bed I into the groove. At the top of each of these beds of porcelain are placed copper bars vr and fr', running the entire length of the conduit.

To the side of this conduit is attached a suitable Water-shed D, extending the length of the conduit, being insulated from it by an insulating material o. This Water-shed D slopes down and discharges all Water that may fall through the central opening in the track and discharges it through an opening s into a sewer-pipe F, Where it is carried quickly away and discharged. The opening s on the sewer-extends along it lengthwise and is supported in any manner that will not interfere with its draining function.

B is a trolley-pole which passes up to the under side of the car and connects in any of the Well-known Ways to the electric motor Which propels the cars. In the device as I have shown it here there is a Wire t, that leads to the motor, and another Wire t', which leads from the motor down through the branch C of the trolley to the copper bar r', which leads away to the end of the circuit to the ground. The copper bar fr leads from the dynamo to the motor in the car on the track through the Wire t, which runs up through the arm C,

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through the main parts of the trolley-pole B and B to the motor.

The trolley-pole for use in this device has a `sharp point i, projecting down directly under the central opening in the track, which will carry any water which may run from the street down and oi from this point, discharging it onto the water-shed D. Any dirt that may fall through the central opening in the roadway will take the saine route and be carried away. The trolley-pole B is offset at B to reach over to the opening in the conduit. On this oiset B is a disk E, which spreads out and prevents any water passing down along the trolley-pole and connecting the electric current with the bars r or r in that Way.

I prefer the construction as here shown for use in this connection, as it is safe and does not affect the telephone-lines in the vicinity. However, only the copper bar rneed be placed in the conduit, and the other bar can be placed in direct contact with the ground without any special insulation, and would answer the purpose and still be safe. A single trough of the conduit might be used and be connected with the motor and discharge through the rails of the track, as is now common with the overhead trolley, and would only be open to the objections of the overhead trolley, so far as safety is concerned and to the objection of its bad effect on the telephone-lines; and

it would have the advantage of not having an overhead wire, which is in reality the princij pal advantage of my underground conduit in y connection with this special trolley and trolf The other objects are important,

ley-pole. but are of less importance than this.

- It will be noted that the conduit vto each side v of the copper bar is depressed into grooves. This is lfor the purpose ot' catching and receiving small quantities of water without its comling into contact with the copper bars r or r My improved electrical conduit and system of electric railway can be considerably varied in its details and still embody my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claiin as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an electric railway, a conduit composed of a tubular casing of cast-iron, A,with a longitudinal opening at the top; a porcelain lining, A', for said conduit extending out over the upper edges of the opening at the top and thickened at the center ofthe bottom to form a base; and a copper bar, r, extending the length of the conduit and supported on the thickened base of porcelain at the bottom, substantially as described for the purpose specified.

2. In an electric conduit for electric railways, a tubular casing with a longitudinal opening at thc top; a suitable insulator to line said casing projecting out over the edges of the openings at the top; and an electrical conductor supported in said tubular casing and embedded in the insulating material cxtending the length of the conduit and adapted to allow a trolley to pass over it, for the purpose speciiied. p

3. In an electrical conduit, an outer tubular casing opening at the top and to' one side or' the opening in the roadway for the passage of the trolley-pole, and suitable insulatinglining for said tubular casing extending out over the sides of the opening at the top; the water-shed, D, supported to the sides of said outer casing; and a sewer-pipe, F, opening at the top to receive any water falling on the shed, D, and conduct it away, for the purpose specified.

4. In an electrical conduit, a double tubular casing with an opening at the top; suitable insulating-lining for said casing; and copper bars, T, r', supported on said insulation to transmit the electric current to the motor in the car and return it from the car, for the purpose specied.

5. In an electrical railway, a trolley-pole projecting down through an opening in the roadway and offset to one side; in combination with a downwardly-projecting pointed portion on said trolley-pole to discharge the water to one side of the conduit, and a vertical disk on the offset -portion of the trolley to prevent water passing down the outside of the trolley-pole into the conduit; and an independent rigid water-shed between the said disk and the conduit projecting up by the lower edge of said disk to prevent spraying or throwing of water into or against the conduit, said shed forming a drainage-space between itself and the said conduit, substantially as described for the purpose specified.

6. The combination of a double electric conduit with a portion, n, projecting up between the two, and an insulating material, A, extending around the interior portions of said conduit continuously up over the portion` u.. for the purpose specified.

7. In an electrical railway, the combination of a trolley-pole projecting downwardly through a slot in the railway oitset to one side; a disk on said offset portion; and a water-shed, D, distinct from said conduit projecting up above the lower edge ot said disk and between it and the conduit, forming a drainage-space between said shed and conduit, all coacting together substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. I-IANSHUE. [L. si

Witnesses:

M. I. LONGYEAR, CHAS. A. DAY.

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